


Not Thinking Outside the Box

by Comicfan



Category: Red Hood and the Outlaws (Comics)
Genre: Angst, Gen, When Damian decided to hit Jason's Berserk Button
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-06
Updated: 2020-08-06
Packaged: 2021-03-06 00:09:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,726
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25714078
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Comicfan/pseuds/Comicfan
Summary: “People try to understand me and what I do. I don’t want to be understood. Don’t put me in a box until I’m dead.”― Richie NortonSpoilers for Teen Titans Annual #1
Relationships: Jason Todd & Damian Wayne
Comments: 14
Kudos: 110





	Not Thinking Outside the Box

**Author's Note:**

> I REALLY wished we got an answer to what's inside the box.

Years ago Bruce and Alfred had lead Jason into the family room for a sober conversation. Neither man wanted to have this discussion with the boy, especially not so soon. But the Band-Aid had to be ripped off and there was no sense in delaying it. As expected it hadn't been easy, Bruce had laid out a plan to handle the matter in a surprisingly healthy fashion but Jason wasn't ready to deal with it.

"Do you wish to--" Alfred had started to make a suggestion, his hand indicating what he meant before he finished his sentence only to be stopped when the boy shook his head.

"I...I don't want to see..."

The men stared at each other for a moment until Alfred came up with a solution.

"I could look after--," he rethought how he'd phrase his words when he saw Jason's watery eyes. "--I could hold onto this until you are ready, Master Jason."

Out of sight though not out of mind. 

"I..." Jason bit his lip as his gaze was drawn to the object that caused him so much pain. "Don't you think it might--"

His words were muffled as the emotion of the moment overtook him but thankfully Alfred understood his meaning.

"We'll make any necessary preparations."

"I know I should...but I can't...there's nothing left to--to...," the boy hiccupped. His brave front was collapsing despite his best efforts to remain strong and he hated it. No tears had come--yet--but they were near. 

Bruce had understood and laid a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"It's okay, Jay. We'll handle it together."

A week later Bruce had shown Jason a small ornate silver box he had made. It was a little silly to see a bat on the lid but Jason understood the gesture. The engraving on the inside only underlined how well Bruce had recognized his needs and done his best to help.

"The clasp is strong enough to stay locked if it falls, it wouldn't open unless you open it yourself." He demonstrated this by opening the lid and then closing it with the clasp. After receiving an affirmative nod from Jason the butler gingerly took the box from Bruces' hands. 

"I promise no harm shall occur with this in my possession, Master Jason. It will be waiting for you when you are ready."

Jason had died and the subject of the box hadn't come up for years.

\--------

By the time Alfred had gotten around to mentioning it again Damian was living in the manor. Things were still fragile between Jason and the family at that stage. Which was why it had come as a shock to see Jason Todd had willingly stopped by the manor. No one else was supposed to be there besides Alfred but Damian had returned to drop off some evidence before rejoining his father in the field. He had abruptly decided to get a refreshment from the kitchen to counterattack his dehydration when he heard their voices.

Neither of them noticed him enter as their attention was on the silver box that sat between them on the table. No one said a word nor dared breath for so long that Damian wondered if his "brother" had threatened the butler. Just when he was preparing to make his presence felt Alfred finally spoke.

"Do you still wish for me to hold onto this, Master Jason? It's alright if you do." He quickly added when Jason looked away.

"I know I should...," Jason shut his eyes and shook his head. "I just can't stand looking at it."

A weathered hand took the offending item off of the table before he opened his eyes once more.

"Then I will continue to keep this safe for you, dear boy."

Despite not understanding the context of the conversation Damian knew that there was a great amount of trust being put upon Alfred. Trust was a fragile thing in his experience, and the vulnerability he saw on Jasons' face stayed with him long after he witnessed it. Time would pass, Damian would lead his own Teen Titans team but he would never forget that weakness. No, he would weaponize it to suit his purpose. When Jason offered his assistance Damian was cautious, he waited to see what was required of him.

Perhaps access to the bat cave, use of his team, something that Damian was prepared to deny if the price was too steep. If circumstances were different perhaps he'd ask for someone to speak on his behalf to Batman. Not that Damian's relationship was much better. But no, Jason Todd never asked for anything in return. For awhile the arrangement worked better than he'd imagine as he hadn't known just how good Jason was at gathering Intel.

(Tim would likely chide and remind him of their past information exchange. Which would prompt Damian in turn to answer that he wasn't as easily impressed as Drake.)

Unlike the rest of them Jason didn't pry nor did he judge. Only when things went south for his team did Damian suspect his "mentor." It seems like a perfectly logical conclusion to him, if their arrangement didn't benefit both parties then it had to be a set up. No one helped him out of the goodness of their hearts, not anymore. Dick was Ric, Alfred stopped bothering him as long as he turned up every week, his father barely spoke to him and no one else cared enough to maintain contact.

And he had never fully trusted Jason Todd.

In the past it seemed like a simple matter to defeat the second Robin. But seeing as Red Hood currently used a crowbar in his arsenal it was time to shake things up a little. His plan mostly stayed the same as it had when he first constructed it (sans the crowbar) but he needed a surefire way to win. Not that he doubted his abilities (which he assumed had to be far superior to Jason's) but he had been taught to be prepared. He would be and if it twisted the knife a little all the better. Betrayal was never something to be taken lightly.

Everything he had built with his father's family was quickly deteriorating. He told himself it wasn't his fault it was theirs, Alfred said differently. Whatever Damian did with the box he had stolen was on him, at the time he hadn't thought he had that much to lose. Alfred's respect? That stung but it was nothing compared to the storm that followed his poorly thought out choice to take on Red Hood.

He _**severely**_ underestimated his foe and he had no one else to pin that on.

Red Hood might have been exhausted, even emotionally compromised with the loss of his best friend and exile from Gotham but like father he had an unbreakable will. In hindsight Damian knew his failings, he had ignored all common sense and acted rashly. It was more than arrogance on his part, it was abysmal planning. In the past he had been warned, not just by Alfred but others, like Tim who rolled his eyes every time Damian flaunted a victory over Robins two and three.

 _"You only 'won' because we let you. Both of us can wipe the floor with you and if you're lucky you'll never realize how badly outmatched you are._ " _Tim had told him bluntly._

_"Naturally you get defensive about your lack of skills after a loss."_

_"The fact that you believe that shows how clueless you are. You have to be aware of your own weaknesses and strengths. Not everyone is going to go easy on you because you're a kid. And one day you are going to push one of us too far. Probably me." The older boy had muttered the last part under his breath. "When that day happens--and it's **definitely** going to happen--I hope you realize that you only have yourself to blame. Because once you understand how much we're holding back you'll know how stupid it was to underestimate us."_

Back then Damian had foolishly believed Tim was suffering from a bruised ego. He was sure the older boy would find it amusing, but he was right. The confrontation was badly executed because of his own wounded pride. When he saw no visible guilt on Jason's face he had assumed Red Hood was simply a good actor. By suddenly lashing out in public Damian had the upper hand, the element of surprise. The bystanders were an after thought, he had ordered them to leave for their own protection. He hadn't factored in how large groups tended to panic in enclosed space. If he was fighting anyone else they surely would have taken advantage of that fact. People could have died in such a scenario.

With speed that still amazed Damian, Red Hood had solved two problems at once by tossing Damian through the window. Taking the battle outside to prevent civilian injuries while regaining the space needed to get his bearings. Size was the only advantage Damian would admit the other Robin had on him. (If that were true Damian would have won with little effort.) Red Hood had made several attempts to stop the fight. Though he'd never admit it he felt a thrill of fear when his wrist was seized, one twist could have snapped the bones. Jason towered over him and he almost felt weak in comparison.

"Damian. Don't do this."

The warning didn't have the desired effect, instead of making Damian reconsider his actions it infuriated him. How dare anyone, especially a suspect--a **murderer** \--tell him what to do! He wasn't a weakling and he would prove it. Well...he tried at any rate. Surprisingly none of the tactics he had brought to bear seemed to do anything to Red Hood. The taunts of about his deaths--of fathers' disappointment in Jason--none of it seemed to phase him. Not even the hits that actually landed seemed to do much and the current Red Hood costume had less armor that the previous versions. At least the taser did something, granted Jason wasn't as woozy as he expected him to be. Still, Damian counted it as a win at the time. Satisfaction had filled him when Red Hood fell to his knees. He was going to make the older Robin confess to his betrayal and prove Alfred wrong. 

If he had been paying attention Damian might have admired how effortlessly Red Hood deflected the birdarangs with the crowbar. He would also notice that the logic he was given was sound while his own accusations were flimsy. It would have been obvious that his brother wasn't trying to fight him and Damian was forcing his hand. But he had already been plotting to throw Jason in the cells with all the trash he had collected. He had been so assured of his victory that he had brought out his trump card to make Red Hood comply.

"What's in there...it's **my** business. It's bigger than this whole crusade. Even Batman won't stoop this low."

The look in Jason's eyes was pure shock, perhaps a touch of betrayal, maybe pleading, there were other emotions that were barely restrained when he glanced up at Damian.

"But **you** would." As far as Damian was concerned Red Hood was capable of every underhanded trick imaginable.

Time seemed to slow to a crawl as he awaited Jason's reply to his demand. The world went into slow motion as Jason's expression changed.

"The truth is...now I'm pissed."

His brain hadn't even registered the fury in Jason's eyes before his hand was slapped and the box was knocked away. Damian had been slapped many times in his life but never had he felt it sting like that--he felt it, even through layers of his armored gauntlet. Robins were trained to act at a moments' notice, to think one step ahead but Damian had floundered as he suddenly realized he had bitten off more than he could chew.

Any of the other Robins would have been on the offensive or defensive. Damian had freaked out and reached for the box leaving his back exposed. Red Hood took advantage of the boy's panic and the world exploded into pain. Jason was quick, he knew how to keep an enemy down for the count and how to use his surroundings. Damian had planned out the entire attack in advance yet Jason had him at his mercy in a matter of seconds once he fought back. It was a humiliation that would later lead him to making another accusation against Red Hood. But at the time all he could focus on was how little he knew about Jason Todd. His expression remained unimpressed when Damian showed him the explosives he had strapped to his chest in hopes of triggering the other Robin. 

It was all for nothing.

"And you lost the minute you showed up here."

_"You lost the second I started **trying."** Red Robin had him on his knees heaving as he struggled to breath. "Now stay down!"_

Watching Red Hood leave him in the parking lot all Damian could do was seethe.

\----

The box felt heavier than it should and placing it on the passengers' seat didn't remove it from his thought. Jason tried to repress the regrets he felt, his encounter with Damian would bother him later. For now he held onto his bitter disappointment and rage. 

_He had no right._

So much for family, right? Everyone else was willing to blindly follow Bruce off a cliff and Jason had hoped at least one of them would be willing to work with him. Tim and him had been the closest but what was the point? When they weren't working on a case their supposed brotherhood was pretty much ignored. He wasn't going to attempt to change the way the younger boy thought.

He had hoped that Damian and him could help each other out. The kid sadly had too much of the old man in him, quick to jump to conclusions without any solid evidence. At least where Jason was concerned. In his haste to withhold any judgement on the kid he might have overlooked some warning signs. The prison was something Jason had assumed would be short term because it was only a matter of time before someone (Batman) discovered it. Yet the kid seemed to think it was the perfect solution to all crime as long as he held the key. Or was he reading too much into it because he had been threatened? Whatever, Damian would answer to Bruce soon enough without Jason being there to watch his back. He brought this mess upon himself and Jason wouldn't feel guilty about it.

He had been used to get information on the Other that Damian had been too lazy to do himself. Hell, he had let himself be used, which only made Jason feel more pissed off when he thought about it. All because he wanted to still have a sense of family.

When he finally arrived at an out of the way place to sleep for the night Jason removed his jacket and replaced it with a hoodie. Getting out of his trunk and ignoring the Damian shaped dent in it he retrieved his bag. After a moment's hesitation he took the box with him into the bed and breakfast. It would take another day to get to his destination, meaning the burden Damian had thrust onto him would have to wait. Apparently Jason could no longer count on Alfred to keep it safe for him. Signing in for the night Jason slipped into his room to get the first bit of sleep he would have in days. His hand traced the design on the box before opening it to read the engraved name inside. He had wanted something sturdy, something he could hold onto to remember but he couldn't bare the pain it brought. 

Jason always did have a bad habit of holding on to things that would only hurt him in return.

Giving the letters a final gentle stroke Jason shut the box, he'd store it at a safe location later. Someday he'd be ready to let go but for now his mothers' ashes were safe.

**Author's Note:**

> I saw a number of theories online for what could be inside the box. The only one that made sense to me was the idea that it was Catherine's ashes. Mostly because it's something I could see as a line Bruce wouldn't cross. I could also see it being the reason both Alfred and Jason react so strongly.
> 
> I didn't intend to write so much from Damian's POV but despite not liking some things he's done I'm still trying to see why he acted that way. I think it was implied that Damian knows what's in the box but I didn't want to get into his thoughts on it. If he knows (and the theory is correct) his actions are far worse than they come across on the first TT Annual read through. Originally I was going to have Jason call Damian out on using his moms' ashes for an hostage but that probably would have gone down a different direction.
> 
> As I saw pointed out somewhere, in canon Tim and Jason both tell Damian similar things after they defeat him. Tim is saying that when they fight Damian will lose the second he (Tim) tries. Which is true anytime either of them fight Damian because both Tim and Jason hold back most of the time.
> 
> Jason says Damian lost the minute he showed up looking for a battle, even before the fight started. Which has a lot more impact once you think about just how much Damian loses besides the actual fight. Because he decided to go down this path he lost an ally and family member that could have really helped him.


End file.
